


More Than A Servant

by Demial



Category: Fate/stay night - All Media Types, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime 2014)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-10-30 05:17:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17822624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demial/pseuds/Demial
Summary: You, a master, summons Cu Chulainn and then immediately proceeds to fall for him. Gender neutral reader.





	1. Chapter 1

You felt pretty lucky that you summoned Cu Chulainn. He wasn't independent like Gilgamesh or surly like Emiya. He was more fun than Diarmuid and less unruly than Iskandar. Most importantly, he had a good heart. Cu flashed you that sharp-toothed smile and you were filled with confidence that you had a shot at winning the Grail.

Now, money was an issue for you at this point in your life. So you had to remind him multiple times to keep his voice down in your small apartment so the neighbours couldn't hear.

"They don't know I'm a servant," he said, shrugging off your concerns.

He still couldn't keep his mouth shut, even if he kept the volume down.

"This apartment is...small," he observed, making himself comfortable on your loveseat (which you wished was a full-size three-seater).

"Yes."

You opted for the short reply to give the subtle hint for him to not continue down this path.

"There is barely room for you in here, let alone a fully grown man like me."

He kicked off his shoes, turned, and laid length-wise on the sofa. His long, slim legs hung off armrest at the knees.

"Well, it's all I can afford."

"Eh?"

He whipped out his spear to spin it, toss it in the air, and catch it. He squinted at the ceiling. You left him to it, going to get ready for your evening shift. It wasn't a glamorous job, and it was long hours, but your coworkers were great and your manager was decent.

"Okay, I'm off," you told him.

"Arright!" Cu called back offhandedly.

Work went normally. You were just distracted with thoughts of your strengths and weaknesses and how they melded with your servant. A big mouth was a small blemish on an otherwise good servant. You asked your coworkers if they liked your new tattoo on your hand when they noticed it. They went along with your explanation out of politeness. Your manager approved your time off for the Holy Grail War. Everything was going fine so far.

Until Cu materialized next to you in the back of the store.

"Master, this is boring," he muttered. "At least send me to go scout for enemy servants."

"I'm busy right now."

"But, Master, isn't this beneath you as a mage?"

You glanced at him, to find him _way too close_ and giving you a heavy-lidded stare. Which struck you as sexy. But now was not the time, so you put your hand to his face and pushed. You ignored his choked yelp and beat a hasty retreat to help your coworkers.

_Hey, you're pretty spunky, Master!_

Great, now he could bother you in your head. Not to worry, you were a pro at your job and used to focusing. Cu kept giving unwanted comments as you went about your shift.

_Hey, that was rude. You gonna take that?_ he said when a customer complained.

_Wow, Master. She's hot. If we're not going to fight, can you set me up on a date?_

"That's my manager!" you exclaimed.

His laughter rang in your brain while you tried to ignore the concerned looks you got from your coworkers.

Ass!

_I heard that._ He continued to chuckle at you.

He continued to make unasked-for comments for the rest of your shift. At first, you got used to the sound of his voice vibrated gently in your mind. Then he managed to hit your funny bone and got a grin out of you. You could _feel_ the smugness coming from him.


	2. Chapter 2

Your shift over, you put your coat on over your uniform. Partially to hide it. Then you remembered it was payday and checked your balance on the bank app on your phone.

It was lower than you'd hoped.

_Ahhh, don't worry about it! Hard work gets rewarded in the end!_

"Yeahhhh, I dunno about that."

You walked to the nearest bus stop. Cu appeared next to you.

"What's next, Master?"

"Shouldn't you stay in my head?"

"I have to look out for you. I can't do that in your noggin." He poked his head.

It was clear he wasn't going to listen. Thankfully, no one was around to see him for now.

"Anyway," you said, "I'm waiting for the bus."

"Eh?" His eyebrow shot up.

"The bus. I'm waiting for it," you explained more slowly.

Cu looked around, as if the answer could be found elsewhere. His face contorted into several expressions. Confusion, annoyance, exasperation, and then a pleased grin, altogether too sharp. It gave you the heebies but it was too late.

"Hup!" Cu was already hoisting you into his arms.

You wiggled around but he leapt into the air, which had you clinging to his frame in a panic. He chuckled at you, which earned him a punch on one of his pecs.

"Agh," he cried, "c'mon, Master, not in the tits. I'm sensitive there."

"Then don't wear such a thin suit!"

"Ha! I like you, Master!"

There was no getting this man down.

Cu touched down on a particularly tall building. You were happy to be let down to put your feet on the roof but also confused. This wasn't your apartment building. He walked towards the edge to stand there, arms crossed, looking out at the pretty combination of yellow and white lights of the houses and buildings dotting the scene below.

He sighed.

"Look at that," he said. "Doesn't this view just lift your spirits?"

He flashed you another confident grin over his shoulder, allowing his blue hair to blow behind him in the breeze.

It was right then you wished you could send him back for a new, less charming, servant.

"C'mon, don't let me embarrass myself with that line and leave it at that!"

It got even worse. His gaze dropped to the roof, a little pink dusting his cheeks.

Your lips pressed together. You couldn't take this romantic scene any longer. You put your arms out.

"T-take me home."

His strong arms circling your body and lifting you up and to his body made your heart speed up. You hid your blushing face against his chest.

"Ahhh, don't worry, Master. I'll help you."

He didn't seem to understand what your shyness stemmed from and that was fine with you.

The next morning, or rather, _afternoon_ , you slept in. You were surprised to find yourself not awoken by Cu like a bored pet. You dragged yourself out of bed and went to the bathroom to get a drink of water. A sticky note was stuck to the mirror. You pulled it off and brought it close to squint at it. In chicken scratch scribbles, the note said, "be back, Master, get some rest -CC".

Not knowing what else to do, you got ready for the day. While brushing your teeth, you considered what you were _supposed_ to do. Track him down and make him come to heel like a runaway pet? Or let him do his thing and trust that he would come back soon? You had some knowledge of what the rules were during a Holy Grail War, but most of your family's history as a mage family was destroyed years ago in a freak fire. You had probably done your ancestors proud by summoning a servant at all, given how equipped you weren't.

After taking a thorough and hot shower, you got dressed, still thinking. And worrying. What if Cu encountered another servant while out there on his own? Not that you could help much. The idea of him getting hurt bothered you more than you cared to admit. Still, you made a healthy breakfast with eggs to start the rest of your day off on a positive note. You were sitting down to fork the eggs down when Cu burst through the door, your keys and two bulging plastic bags in his hands.

"Master! Up and at 'em! I have..."

He stopped mid-sentence, noticing you already had made yourself breakfast. It took him a couple seconds to decide both servings of takeout that he was holding were now his instead. He grinned his usual grin and sat down to open the plastic bags and dig in.

"Where you been?" you asked casually.

Inside, you were shaking. Wanting to yell, _WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN_ , _YOU BIG, BlUE-HAIRED IDIOT?_

"Oh, I got a part-time job." He picked up a plastic fork and speared his food.

You chewed. Swallowed.

"I see." Inside: _THIS IS MAKING NO SENSE. I SUMMONED A SERVANT, NOT A ROOMMATE. THIS MAN IS ALREADY DRIVING ME NUTS ON THE SECOND GODDAMNNED DAY_. "That doesn't explain how you got the food, though. You can't have been paid."

"Ah," Cu said with his mouth full, giving you a full view of the half-chewed food. He gulped it down. "The job's at a Chinese place. They gave me the food when I explained I hadn't eaten today yet." He giggled. "They don't know servants don't need to eat."

You continued to stew in your panic/anger/utter confusion for a few more minutes. Then you had to ask.

"So, _why_ does a servant have a job?"

"Ahh, relax, Master. You needed some help. I'm helping," he said, waving his fork around, some of the chow mein noodles hitting the table.

"Oh."

Besides that, you were speechless and redfaced. He was being so sweet. Cu wasn't looking at your face. He had his gaze glued to the noodles on the table. He glanced at his fork. Then he shrugged and plastered his lips to the table to loudly suck the noodles up.

"Oh, my _god_." Disgusting.

"Heh." He grinned.

You laughed loudly at that despite yourself.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days were stressful. You were either just scraping by in short battles with other servant/master teams or working. Cu was an unending source of morale and that's what kept you going. That said, you collapsed into bed each night and woke up late each day, unless you had work.

Today's shift brought bad news that would test you severely. You came home as usual and Cu called your name when you strode through the door.

"I think we'll get that caster this time! Let's go on the hunt. Heheh."

You didn't answer like you usually did and he immediately knew something was off. He frowned and came to the door. You looked completely lost. His frown deepened.

"Master? What's wrong? Who did this to you?" His spear materialized in his hand. "I'll kill them!"

"No, I..."

He stepped forward and his free hand clamped down on your shoulder.

"What?"

"They let me go..."

His thin eyebrows shot up.

"The enemy let you go?" he asked. "But that's good-"

"No, they let me go at work."

"Ah." Cu mumbled apologies.

You weren't talking much. Continued to look lost, like you couldn't find your grip on reality. Not even when he took you to the top of the original tall building did you say much. He even waited there until sunset. Surely, this romantic shit would cheer you up, he thought.

Cu glanced at your face to check on your state for the tenth time. He saw tears shining in the deeply yellow sunlight and swore to himself. You turned to him, causing him to startle backwards. You caught him staring.

Except, you just reached your hand out to him and sniffled. He didn't know what to do besides gather you into his arms. He squeezed your upper body tight, your wet face buried in his chest. Your tears flowed more freely now. He rocked you a few times.

"...I don't know what to do..."

An awkward pause later, you tried to answer. All that came out was muffled whining.

"Sorry," he said with a grin, opening his arms to give you room to speak.

"What am I going to do after you're gone?"

He frowned down at you. Cu just realized what he'd done. He tried to help you. He had become a good friend. He brought in a second income to your home. You would be left high and dry if he got taken out by another servant. And even if the two of you won the Grail, his gut still told him it wouldn't end well... If he left, you'd be penniless and down a friend. He judged you to be a good person and he saw strength within you. He didn't want to let a master like you down. Leaving you alone felt like a betrayal. And he didn't do that.

Cu was at a loss but he couldn't hang around here all night. You were clinging to him tighter, shivering.

"C'mon! I'll take you home." He faked some cheerfulness, hoping you would be uplifted a bit.

You needed rest. Cu made sure you showered and then let you crawl into bed. He also made sure you ate, or at least ate what he brought home from work if it wasn't anything healthy. While you were fine moping, he was restless. He often went to the roof to keep an eye out for a while then came back down to check on you. The lack of battles made him think one was just around the corner. You made him promise not to pick any fights while he was up there, though.

A couple more days of moping later, there was a knock at the door. Cu went to get it as you were still in bed.

"Hey!" he bellowed. "Someone is here to see you!"

You flung yourself out of bed and pulled on some sweats. After giving up on your hair after three frustrating seconds, you power walked to the front door. You found a friend of yours standing there, eyeing your servant curiously. He was in casual wear, a white t-shirt and black slacks, but his presence was still unusual.

"Hey!" Your friend waved awkwardly when they saw you. "I thought I'd...visit."

News of your joblessness had travelled the grapevine. This particular friend was the type to show up at your door when you're in need. You had been hoping they wouldn't, just this time, but here they were.

You gave them a tight hug. They came in. You couldn't very well refuse them. You led everyone to the living room to have a seat. Cu sat next to you, legs open and an arm stretched out on the back of the sofa behind you. Within reach, if you needed him. It was sweet, but it kept a permanent blush stained to your cheeks.

You chatted with your friend. When it was clear that Cu was the third wheel here, with discussions of things he didn't understand, he got up to get a can of beer from the six-pack he kept in the fridge. Your friend waited until he was out of earshot and then leaned forward to glare at you.

"You didn't tell me you were seeing someone."

"Yeah, ummm..."

You fidgeted obviously. You couldn't tell them the truth and Cu being your boyfriend was the simplest answer.

"He's already moved in and you didn't tell anyone?" your friend continued, still pissed. "What is up?"

Your servant came back before you had to answer.

"Heeeyyy, Master, I mean-" Cu stumbled over your real name before starting over. "I picked up some more shifts at work and I told my boss you're looking. They begged me to send you in for an interview. They just want to know if you can work as hard as I can."

He flashed you that confident grin you loved so much. Tears of relief sprung to your eyes immediately.

"That's-"

"Hey, no need to cry." He sat down next to you on the sofa and pulled you into a one-armed hug. "I wouldn't abandon you if I could help it. You know that." He patted your back a few times. "You should go drinking to celebrate, eh? My treat."

"No," you said, pinching his chest. That was too far. "I look like shit."

"Ow-ho!" he cried, letting go of you and rubbing the sore spot.

Your friend had watched all this. They relaxed. Apparently, they had just been worried Cu had some kind of hold on you.

"I can wait if you want to get ready," your friend offered.

You hummed.

"...okay. You know what? Let's go."

"Don't worry. I got this," Cu told your friend.

As if you needed help getting ready for a night out. Still, he followed you to your bedroom. After some bickering over your outfit, you were done.

"Hey, you clean up nice, Master." He gave you a double thumbs up and a wink.

"You shush," you scolded, but grinning despite yourself.


	4. Chapter 4

Going out had been just the thing you needed. When you came home, you were tired but all smiles. Your friend handed your floppy self over to your "boyfriend." Cu carried you piggyback up the stairs to your apartment. You rambled excitedly into his ear, determined to tell him everything about that night. He laughed at the stupid things you said, plus all the times you couldn't quite get the words out.

"So, did you meet anyone? Hmm?"

He was just playfully teasing but you went silent. He couldn't see your face so he didn't know you wore a sad look. He assumed you fell asleep. Which you did right after.

You awoke when you hit the bed. He pulled your socks and shoes off.

"Up," he said.

He said that, but he ended up pulling you into a sitting position, allowing him to pull off your jacket. You tried to take off your shirt and pants too, but got caught, flailing around. He swore and pulled them off for you. You thanked him and flopped back onto the bed.

"Agh, Master, you stink!"

"Then bathe me, Cu!" You giggled.

You reached out weakly and out of instinct, he caught your hand palm up. You were smiling up at him so sweetly. He studied your face intensely.

He let go of your hand.

"In the morning. You need to sleep."

"Nooooo," was your sad whine.

"No. You're too drunk off your ass to know what's right. Move over. I'm going to sleep here with you to make sure you don't do something stupid."

All you heard was, "I'm going to sleep next to you," not the nagging, making you very happy. You shuffled over in little drunk wiggles. He made sure the blankets covered you and then lay next to you. On top of the blankets. No matter, you reached out of the blankets to cuddle him.

"You're a good servant." You nuzzled his chest.

"Uhuh."

"I love you," you sighed.

He sputtered. "Uhhh, thank you?"

"You're welcome."

The way he responded seemed to have no impact on your warm feelings. You fell asleep with a small smile on your face.

...

Cu Chulainn the Servant didn't need to sleep. But he did. And when he woke up with you still clinging to him, he couldn't deny how he felt anymore. He already felt cowardly for avoiding the truth in the first place.

He had put so much effort into helping you because he had romantic feelings for you.

With uncharacteristic tenderness, his lips met your forehead. Several kisses later, he enthusiastically buried his nose in your hair. He couldn't help it. His arms yanked you closer and he kissed your head. He was in love!

You hummed in sleepy protest and opened your eyes to find Cu curled over you, his love-drunk red eyes searching yours. His lips stretched into the widest grin.

"Master, you're so cute!"

He was referring to your expression. Confused, because _what was going on??_ And red, because _wow, he's so close and this is so awesome._

You were miles away from being awake enough to even figure out what was going on and what to think or even say. His expression fell serious and he gripped your jaw firmly with his hand, holding your attention on him. You trembled from his intense stare.

"I'm going to protect you with my life."

It's not that he hadn't been doing that before. Saying that now gave his actions new meaning. If you died, it would take a bigger piece of his heart. And he wasn't denying it anymore.

You absolutely felt the same. The next natural was to seal it with a kiss. Cu nibbled on your bottom lip and you giggled. Another quick kiss and you both broke it off and cuddled, instead. Holding each other tight. Because you knew either of you could die tomorrow.


End file.
